“the launching place” with israel

WINNIPEG / TORONTO

Depart from Winnipeg to Toronto on Air Canada departing at 6:45am and arriving at 10:13am. Connect on Air Canada from Toronto to Tel Aviv departing at 4:50pm flying non-stop.

TEL AVIV / JERUSALEM

Arrive in Tel Aviv at 10:15am where we meet our tour guide and driver who will take us to Jerusalem to our hotel. The balance of the day will be at leisure to catch up on jet lag. Dinner and overnight at the Prima Kings Hotel, Jerusalem.

OLD CITY OF JERUSALEM

We start the day at the top of the Mt. of Olives, for a panoramic view of Jerusalem. Tracing the footsteps of Jesus, we will stroll down the Palm Sunday Route on the Mount of Olives to the Garden of Gethsemane and the Church of All Nations. Continue to Mt Zion to visit the traditional site of the Upper Room (Room of the Last Supper), King David’s Tomb and the Church of St. Peter’s in Gallicantu, built on top of the High Priest Caiphas’ house. We visit the grave site of Oskar Schindler. We walk to the Zion Gate and enter the Old City of Jerusalem through this gate and walk through the Armenian Quarter to the Jewish Quarter. Walk along the Roman/Byzantine Street called the “Cardo” to the Western Wall, Judaism’s holiest spot and the Western Wall Tunnels. We continue our walk along the Via Dolorosa to visit the Pools of Bethesda, St. Anne’s Church, Chapel of the Flagellation and Pilate’s Judgment Hall. We pass through the colourful bazaars, alleyways and market places and reach the Church of the Holy Sepulchre for a brief visit. Walk through the alleyways of the Old City and exit from the Jaffa Gate where our bus will be waiting for us. Finish the day with a visit to the Garden Tomb or Gordon’s Calvary for a communion service before returning to your hotel. Dinner and overnight at the Prima Kings Hotel, Jerusalem.

JERUSALEM

We start the day in the New city of Jerusalem by visiting Yad Vashem, Israel’s memorial to the Holocaust commemorating the six million Jews who perished. Visit and walk through the newly opened Museum, visit the Children’s Memorial, walk along the Avenue of the Righteous Gentiles for those who risked their lives to save Jewish lives. Continue to the Davidson Center to visit the Southern Wall excavations. Continue to the City of David and explore the excavations from the time of King David and see the Pool of Siloam. Visit the Friends of Zion Museum which brings stories of love and heroism to the world. Magnificently told using ground-breaking technology found nowhere else in the nation, visitors experience the unfolding story as though stepping back in time. Visitors enter a whole new world, where they meet the biblical figures, academics, businessmen, and military officials who, through their faith, have forged an everlasting bond between the Jewish and Christian peoples. Dinner and overnight at the Prima Kings Hotel, Jerusalem

JERUSALEM

After breakfast, enjoy a day of leisure. Perhaps re-visit the Old City for shopping in the bazaars. Visit many of the Museums that Jerusalem has to offer that you did not see on the tour, shop in the largest indoor shopping mall in Israel for or just relax at the hotel. Dinner and overnight at the Prima Kings Hotel, Jerusalem

QUMRAN / MASADA / DEAD SEA

Depart Jerusalem and drive to the lowest point on earth, the Dead Sea. We will stop at Qumran for a visit where a young shepherd boy discovered the Dead Sea Scrolls in 1947 in the cave, which you will see. These scrolls are the oldest scriptures of the Bible ever found. Continue south to Masada. You will take a cable car to the summit of this magnificent fortress built by King Herod the Great and the last stronghold of the Jewish Zealots. You will walk around these historic ruins you will see the palaces, bath houses, swimming pool, the oldest synagogue in the world on this mountain in the middle of the desert. After descending this mountain by cable car we travel to the shores of the Dead Sea where you will have time to take a float in the saltiest body of water in world. Return to Jerusalem. Dinner and overnight at the Prima Kings Hotel, Jerusalem.

GALILEE

This morning we descend from Jerusalem to the lush Jordan Valley, where the desert now blooms with flowers and vegetation of every description (Isaiah 35:1-2). We continue northward to Beit Shean, where we will walk through the incredible excavations of the largest ongoing archaeological dig in the land of Israel with its Roman theatre, colonnaded Roman streets, mosaics and Roman bathhouses. It is also the city where the body of King Saul and his sons where nailed to the walls by the Philistines (1 Samuel 31:10). Drive to Nazareth, the boyhood town of Jesus. We will visit Nazareth Village depicting a village from the time of Jesus. Dinner and overnight at Leonardo Hotel, Tiberias

JESUS' MINISTRY IN THE GALILEE

After breakfast, we will depart our day with a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee to Kibbutz Ginossar where we meet our bus and travel to Capernaum, the centre of Jesus’ Galilean ministry and the site of many of his miracles. We will see the remains of Peter’s house and the synagogue site where Jesus taught and worshipped. Drive to Tabgha and visit the Church of the Multiplication of Loaves and Fishes. Continue to the Mt. of Beatitudes where Jesus delivered what is perhaps the most famous sermon ever preached – “The Sermon On The Mount” (Matt.5) where we will enjoy our Sunday Worship Service. We will then proceed to the site of the city of Korazim where there are remains of a First Century Synagogue where Jesus frequently ministered. Return to the Kibbutz via the east side of the Sea of Galilee stopping at Kursi to see the places where the demons entered the swine and drowned in the Sea of Galilee Dinner and overnight at Leonardo Hotel, Tiberias.

GALILEE / GOLAN HEIGHTS

Drive to the newly excavated town of Magdala the town of Mary of Magdalena. Continue to the Golan Heights and have a panoramic view of the corner of Israel, Syria and Jordan from Mt. Bental. Continue to the Banias, one of the sources of the Jordan River and the site of ancient “Caesarea Philipi”, where Peter made the confession of faith in Christ (Matt; 16:16). Continue to Tel Dan to see the ruins from Abraham’s time and the Dan Spring which is a source of the Jordan River. Visit Gamla the place of the battle between the Roman legions and the Jewish fighters in 66 B.C which many people call the Masada of the Galilee. You will see one of the oldest synagogues at Gamla. Finish the day at Yardenit, the Baptismal Center on the Jordan River. Dinner and overnight at Leonardo Hotel, Tiberias

MEGIDDO / MT CARMEL / CAESAREA / TEL AVIV

This morning drive to Megiddo, one of King Solomon’s walled fortified cities (1 Kings 9:15; 10:26), with ruins of 20 levels of civilization. From here the Books of Daniel and Revelation will come alive as we read about the final Battle of Armageddon, while viewing the Plains of Jezreel. We then travel towards Haifa and ascend Mt. Carmel the site where the prophet Elijah fought the 400 false prophets of Baal (1 Kings 18:30). We will stop for an incredible panoramic view of Haifa. We drive south along the Plain of Sharon, the Mediterranean and the old coastal road- the Via Maris that linked Egypt and Babylon as we journey towards Jaffa/Tel Aviv. We stop at Caesarea the incredible fortress city built by King Herod the Great. Here, Pontius Pilate had his base; where Cornelius lived and was baptized (Acts 10); where Paul embarked to Tarsus (Acts 9:30) and where Philip preached (Acts 8:40). Visit the Roman Theatre, the Hippodrome, and the Crusader City. Continue to Tel Aviv to our hotel on the Mediterranean. Dinner and overnight at the Herod’s Hotel, Tel Aviv

TEL AVIV AT LEISURE

Today is a day of leisure to enjoy the beach, the promenade along the Mediterranean, Old Jaffa, Port of Tel Aviv, great shopping and museums. Dinner and overnight at the Herod’s Hotel, Tel Aviv

TORONTO

Departure from Tel Aviv on Air Canada flying non-stop to Toronto at 11:55am. Arriving in Toronto at 5:00pm. Connect to your Air Canada flight departing Toronto at 9:35pm flying to Winnipeg non-stop arriving at 11:11pm.